BioBlitz Part2: More Cool Pics

by Chris persaud

This is an example of the cool, freaky stuff in the FAU Preserve. Click to enlarge. Go ahead. Do it. Photo by Brett Bartek

Last week, I posted a small handful of pictures from the second annual BioBlitz at FAU.  They mostly consisted of pictures of creepy insects and reptiles.  This week, the freaky factor is increased, and so is the cool bug/reptile factor.  Last week’s pictures were taken with what appeared to be run-of-the-mill digital cameras, but these pics were taken with–as SEEDS FAU Vice President Joshua Scholl put it–“an awesome, expensive camera.”  You can see every reptile’s scale, every bit spider fur, and all the gross parts of insects’ unseemly abdomens.  But don’t just take my words for it, check out part 2 of the BioBlitz 2011 photo gallery for yourself.  Just make sure to wait 30 minutes after eating before doing so.

Oh, and watch out for the camouflaged spider.

All photos by Brett Bartek.

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BioBlitz 2011: Part 1: Creepy Crawlies

By Chris Persaud

For 24 hours straight, SEEDS @ FAU President Nicholas Mazzoli and a rotating schedule of other SEEDS members hiked the trails of FAU’s Preserve, gathering scientific data–and taking cool pictures of–the gross, interesting, cute, and awesome creatures roaming around up there for the second annual BioBlitz.  For all the justice words can do for the event, the pictures taken by the members of SEEDS do a much better job of illustrating it.  While FAU Animals does not have all the pictures yet, we do have photos of the freaky insects living there.  Check ’em out in the BIoBlitz 2011 Creepy Crawly Photo Gallery.

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All photos courtesy of Joshua Scholl.

Walk With The Animals

By Chris Persaud

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On the warm spring morn of April 8, kids and adults alike will have the once-in-a-year chance to come face-to-face with bats, burrowing owls, bugs, tortoises, armadillos and other unique animals in FAU’s own little forest-like ecological preserve.  And they can eat some free food while listening to some sweet music too!

So, what exactly is going down at the preserve? Why, it’s the second annual greenery-trekking, animal-info-gathering BioBlitz. BioBlitz is hosted by SEEDS @ FAU, a local chapter of an Ecological Society of America program whose mission is to educate students on environmental issues and encourage them to get involved in those issues. It spans 24 hours, from 9 a.m. on April 8 to 9 a.m. on April 9.  The event starts at Lot 5 (behind the stadium site).

A free t-shirt with buttons from BioBlitz2010

Folks in elementary, middle and high school can learn about gopher tortoises, creepy-crawly insects and invasive plant species, and help identify nifty animal skeletons on informative tours of the preserve. After the tours, they’ll get to go on a treasure hunt for different animal buttons or T-shirts, which they can keep as souvenirs.

FAU students with iPhones will have the option of doing something a bit more hands-on at BioBlitz.  SEEDS @ FAU President Nicolas Mazzoli has developed an iPhone app called Ecocritique that FAU students can download and use at the event.

Ecocritique users will use the app to note which animals are roaming and living on the preserve. The information is put on a map that is accessible online or via Ecocritique. The animal info will then be sent to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Discovery Channel’s Life series. It helps those who are curious to know what sorts of animals exist in FAU’s preserve at the flick of a finger.

An estimated 150 people showed at last year’s BioBlitz, and its organizers estimate at least 250 this time around. The numbers are boosted by FAU students who will be going to BioBlitz as part of their classes.

This snake is called a Black Racer. Photo Courtesy of Joshua Scholl

Free food is provided via donation from Whole Foods, and live music is provided by DJ Ozzie. Free T-shirts proclaiming “protect the burrow” will also be given out.

Check out the image gallery and video for a look at the cool critters and fun times from last year’s event.

If you’re interested in volunteering for this year’s BioBlitz, send an e-mail to SEEDSFAU@gmail.com.

All information in this post courtesy of SEEDS@FAU President Nicholas Mazzoli, Vice President Joshua Scholl, and lab/field assistant Leonardo Calle Jr.  Photos courtesy of Scholl.  Video courtesy of SEEDS@FAU.

 

 

Animals in Action

By Chris Persaud

Rather than reading hundreds of words this week, here are some video recordings of FAU’s animals.

The first two videos were shot by Andres Leon, one of the two administrators for the more-than-300-member Save the Burrowing Owls at FAU Facebook page, which — as the name says — is all about protecting burrowing owls’ habitats from human encroachment.  The first video is a bit pixelated and shaky, but the second one is, in my opinion, very prettily shot.

This video — which features burrowing owls, gopher tortoises and an iguana — was shot for the FAU chapter of the Ecology Society of America’s Strategies for Ecology Education, Diversity and Sustainability program.  They are called SEEDS@FAU for short.  Among other things, SEEDS@FAU encourages students to get interactive with FAU creatures and to learn more about them.  Check out their blog for more info on interesting upcoming events and competitions.